Artificial turf feels like natural grass, can be used for a prolonged period of time, requires low maintenance cost, and is cushiony enough to prevent injury. Due to these advantages, artificial turf has been increasingly installed on sports fields across the world. Most of the currently used artificial turf products are of a carpet type and have a structure in which rubber chips and sand are filled to impart a texture similar to that of natural grass. However, the use of waste tire rubber chips as artificial turf infills has become a social issue because of their hazards to human health and environment. Due to their black color, waste tire rubber chips tend to absorb sunlight and increase the temperature of playgrounds, resulting in deterioration of the exercise environment. At temperatures exceeding 30° C. in summer, rubber chips produce an acrid smell and are often melted on the hot ground and stuck to the bottoms of players' shoes. Since waste tire chips are produced by pulverization, they become brittle after long-term use and produce dust, which is a cause of environmental pollution. The detection of harmful substances, including heavy metals, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, toluene, benzene, and nitrosamines, in artificial turf products was reported in some European countries. Under these circumstances, there is a growing need for new artificial turf infills that have the potential to replace waste tire chips.